Coin collector



J. D. SMITH COIN COLLECTOR Feb. 17, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 28, 1950 INVENTOB w JM ATTORNEY Feb. 17, 1953 J. 1:. SMITH 2,628,772

com COLLECTOR Filed Aug. 28, 1950 a Sheets-Shet 2 71/ fa ig 7 ENTOR ATTORNEY J. D. SMITH COIN COLLECTOR Feb. 17, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 28, 1950 a! ZER ENT RZ ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 17, 1953 UNITED s ATTENT OFF-ICE Application August'28, 1950,"Serial No. 181.753

Theobject of this invention is to devise a novel coin collector whichw'ill simultaneously indicate to thepurchaser in front of the coin collector and to'the attendant in rear of the coin collector if the inserted coins amount to the cost of the purchase which has been made.

A furtherobject of the invention is to provide intercommunicating coin receiving compartments with front and rear .sight openings so that the instant purchase will have the coins therefor visible: inonecompartment-and the coins'for the previous purchase visible in the other compartment. I

Due to changing conditions, the price of articles frequently change .in a short time and "the number :of coins to be deposited to cover the amount of the purchase varies, and also the denomination of the coins.

In :many places "where articles are sold and particularly in restaurants, a large number-of customersmake their purchases within :a limited period of time and it is-advantageous to reduce to a minimum the time involved in making the individual purchase payment. A further object therefore of this invention is to devise novel mechanism for retaining the coins deposited in View, and -.novel mechanism for controlling the discharge of coins from their compartments in timed relationship.

A .further object of the invention is to devise a novel frame which can be installed in a minimum of 1 space.

With the foregoing and other objects in view as will hereinafter-clearly appear in the detailed description and the-appended claimamy inventioncomprehends a novel construction and arrangement of .a coin collector.

Itfurthercomprehends a novel construction .of airame having shutter controlled, coin receiving compartments visibleirom the front andrrearrof the frame and designed to receive a number of coins .of the .sameor different denominations.

.It .further rcomprehends novel shutter controlling .mechanism for controlling in timed relationship the discharge of coins from the coin receiving compartments.

vIlior the purpose ofrillustrating the invention, I have shown .in .the accompanying drawings preferred embodiment of it whichl have ioundin practice ,-to give .reliable and satisfactory results.

It.is,.however, .tohe understood that .the various instrumentalitiesof which the invention consists can be variouslyarranged and organizedvand the invention is not limited to the exact arrangement and organization .of .these .instr.umentalities ,'as herein set forth.

Claims. (Cl. 232*57) Figure "1 is a front-elevation showing "a portion of a coin collector embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical section of Figure 1, showing inaddit'iona portion of a coin box and a manner of supporting the coin collector.

Figure 3 is a top plan view.

Figure 4 is a-si'de elevation, showing more particularly the controlling mechanism 'for the shutt'ers with the housing cover removed.

Figure 5 is a vertical section through the frame showing the shutter positions when the controlling mechanism has its component parts in the positions "seen in Figure '4.

Figure 6 is a side'elevation similar to Figure 4 but showing the moving parts inaa difierentrelation to that seen inFigure 4.

*Figure 7 is vertical sectionof the 'fram'e showingthe shutter positions corresponding to 'the positions-of the controlling mechanism of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a side elevation similarto Figures 4 and 6 but showing/the component parts of the controlling mechanism in a different relation from that seen in Figure 4 or inFigure 6.

Figure 9 is a vertical section of the frame showing the shutter positions corresponding to the po sitionsof.theucontroller partsseen inFigure 8.

Figure l0qis ia-sideelevation of the controlling mechanism showing positionof the parts during the return stroke of the. actuating lever.

Figure :11 isa rear elevation showing a portion of the ,frame.

Figure .12 is an exploded view showing certain of the component parts of the-controlling mechanism.

Figure 13 .is a perspective view of a cam. and roll carrier for thelower shutter of the lower. coin receiving compartment.

Similar numeralsof reference indicate corresponding ,parts.

Referring to the drawings:

Coin guiding and retaining construction The coin collector has a .frame through which the .coinspass, and this frame consists of a rear plate ,I and a front plate 2,.the plates being connected by suitable fastening devices 3. receiving .slot4 is {formed between theplates at theirupperends and-directs the coin or coins to an upper coin receiving compartment 5 formed between the plates This compartment 5 has a front sight opening '6 .and a rear sight opening '7 whereby .coinsretained in this upper compartment are visible to apurchaserin front .of the coin collector and also toan attendant in rearof the coin "collector. jtlhe. si h 'aopenings are provided in the same manner with "transparent plates '8 A coin and 9 having, if desired, a marginal backing and insertable into slots It formed in the upper end of the frame.

The coins inserted into the coin slot 4 and passing into the upper compartment come to rest upon an upper shutter H if the latter is in its closed position. The top face of the shutter is inclined but substantiallyhorizontal when the shutter is closed. The upper shutter H has trunnions [2 near its bottom and these trunnions are mounted in the frame. The upper shutter is actuated by controlling mechanism which will hereinafter be explained.

If the upper shutter is in its open position, the coins pass into a lower coin receiving compartment l3 having a front sight opening M and a rear sight opening I5. These sight openings i4 and I5 are formed in the same manner as the upper sight openings 6 and I by transparent plates is and I! having if desired a marginal backing and retained in recesses formed in the frame. The bottom of the lower coin receiving compartment is normally closed by a lower shutter l8 having an inclined top face which is substantially horizontal when the shutter is in its closed position. This lower shutter 18 has trunnions 19 mounted in the frame. The upper and lower shutters are in the form of bars or narrow plates pivotally mounted below their compartment by their trunnions.

The coins pass from the lower coin receiving compartment l3 into a coin chute 20 formed between the plates l and 2 of the frame, and this chute discharges into a coin box 2|.

It now will be clear that I provide an upper and a lower coin receiving compartment and that coins retained in one or both of these compartments are visible to a purchaser in front of the coin collector and also to the attendant in rear of the coin collector.

The shutters are controlled in timed relationship by novel controlling mechanism which will now be described.

Shutter controlling mechanism The shutter trunnions at one end extend into a housing 22 for the shutter controlling mechanism. The housing is fixed .to the frame by fas tening devices 23 and is provided with a cover 24.

Referring now more particularly to Figures 4 to 10, one of the trunnions of the upper shutter which extends into the housing has one end of a link 25 fixed to it by a set screw 26, and the opposite end of this link is pivoted to the upper end of a link 2'! having a longitudinally extending slot 28 into which a stud 29 carried by a cam slide 30 extends. A bowed spring 3! has one end fixed to the housing and its other end bears against the set screw 26 and tends to return the upper shutter to and to retain it in its closed position.

The cam slide 3|] is in the form of a plate having a longitudinally extending slot 32 into which headed studs 33 carried by a wall of the housing extend to guide the cam slide during its movement. A roller 34 on the cam slide extends into a longitudinally extending slot 35 in an actuating lever 36 which latteris pivotally-mounted at its inner end within the housing as at 31. A spring 33 has one end fixed relatively .to the housing and its other end connected with the lever 36 and tends to move such lever upwardly and to retain it in its upward position. The cam slide has an inwardly recessed side wall 39 which at its lower, end merges into a cam wall 40 which latter wall merges into a straight wall 4| extending to the rounded bottom wall of the cam slide. These walls 39, 4B and 4| contribute to control a cam device for the lower shutter.

The lower shutter has one of its trunnions extending into the housing to receive a cam 42 which is fixed thereto. The cam 42 has a slot opening through its upper face and formed by a straight wall 43 and an inclined wall 44 at each opposite side of the cam. A gravity roll 45 is free to rise and fall in said slot and its upward movement is limited by a stop 46 carried by the cam 42 and extending over and above the slot. A spring 47 has one end fixed to the housing and its other end bears against a shoulder 48 in the cam 42 and tends to move the shutter into and retain it in its closed position. The gravity roll has rods 49 at opposite sides, and the cam 42 has a vertical slot 50 to provide clearance for the movements of the gravity roll. A slot 5| in the housing provides clearance for the actuating lever 36.

The coin collector is supported at a desired location in any desired manner, and as illustrated, the rear plate I of the frame has a shoulder 52 which rests on a support 53 such as a counter or table having a slot 54 to receive the frame. The coins are shown at 55.

The operation The operation will now be clear to those skilled in this art and is as follows:

Assuming that the component parts are in the position seen in Figures 4 and 5, the bottom of the upper coin receiving compartment 5 is closed by the upper shutter II and the bottom of the lower coin receiving compartment is closed by the shutter I8, and the lever 36 is in its raised position. Coins of the proper number and of the proper denomination have been inserted in the coin slot 4 have passed into the upper coin receiving compartment 5 and come to rest on the upper shutter I'I The attendant, after noting that the proper amount has been deposited in the coin collector, moves the lever 36 downwardly, thereby moving downwardly the cam slide 32. The upper shutter remains in closed position because the stud 29 has not reached the bottom of the slot 28 in the link 21 so that no pull is exerted on the link 25 connected with the upper shutter. During this partial downward movement of the lever 36, for example from the position seen in Figures 4 and 6 into the position of the parts seen in Figures 6 and '7, the wall M of the cam slide contacts the gravity roll 45 and rocks the cam 42 to move the shutter 18 into its open position, to permit any coins of a previous purchase in the lower coin receiving compartment I3 to pass to the coin chute 20 and to the coin box 2|.

As the downward movement of the lever continues, the stud 29 reaches the bottom of the slot 28 and the link 2! draws downwardly the link 25 to rock the upper shutter l l into its open position so that coins in the upper compartment 5 can pass into the lower compartment l3. Before the upper shutter is opened, the gravity roll 45 passes along the cam wall 40 and the spring 4'! acting on cam 42 causes the lower shutter I8 to close and the coins passing from the upper coin receiving compartment 5 come to rest in the lower coin receiving compartment During the upward return stroke of the lever 36, see Figure 10, from the position seen in Figure 8, the upward movement of the cam slide 30 causes the gravity roll to move upwardly and laterally, and the spring 41 rocks the cam 42 to move the lower shutter 18 into it closed position.

During this return stroke, the cam wall 40 moves 7 pleted, the component parts of the controlling mechanism are in the positions seen in Figure 4. As the cam slide reaches its upward position, the gravity roll is free to move downwardly in its slot to the position seen in Figure 4.

compartments and having trunnions mounted in the frame, one of said compartments being located above the other compartment, a link connected with a trunnion of the upper shutter, a second link connected with said first link and having a slot, a cam member mounted for limited movement in opposite directions and having a stud extending into said slot, a lever to actuate said cam member, the cam member at its lower portion having a cam wall merging into a straight wall, a cam fixed to a trunnion of the lower shutter and. having a slot opening through its top face with an inclined wall at one side, a gravity roll free to move upwardly and downwardly in the It is to be noted that the actuating lever 36 can at all times be returned to its initial position. The advantage of this is that if the attendant after starting the downward movement of the actuating lever sees that the proper amount to cover the purchase has not been deposited he does not have to complete the cycle of operation but can return the parts to their initial Or first positions.

Having thus described my'invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a coin collector, a frame having open ended coin receiving compartment with transparent sides and communicating with a coin chute, shutters movably mounted at the bottom of the compartments to close and open said bottoms, one of said compartments being located above the other compartment, a cam member linked to the upper shutter and having a stud extending into a slot in said linkage to provide a delayed action of the shutter on movement of the cam member in one direction, a tension device for each shutter, a cam fixed to the lower shutter having a slot, a gravity roll bodily movable in said slot and in the path of said cam member. and a lever connected with said cam member to actuate it.

2. The construction defined in claim 1, wherein the slot for the gravity roll has an inclined wall, and is provided with a stop to limit upward movement of the gravity roll.

3. In a coin collector, a frame having a coin chute with open ended coin receiving compartments in communication with each other and with the coin chute, shutters at the bottom of the slot of the cam for the lower shutter and in the path of the cam wall and straight wall of the cam member, and tension devices tending to move said shutters into position to close the bottoms of the compartments.

4. The construction defined in claim 3, wherein the cam for the lower shutter has a stop to limit upward movement of the gravity roll.

5. In a coin collector, a frame having a coin chute with an upper and a lower coin receiving compartment having transparent sides and in communication with each other and with the coin chute, movably mount-ed shutters at the bottoms of said compartments and tensioned to normally close said bottoms, and controlling mechanism for said shutters to control in timed relationship the retention of coins in said compartments and their release therefrom, said controlling mechanism comprising a manually actuated cam member linked to the upper shutter, a cam fixed to the lower shutter and having a slot, and a gravity roll bodily movable in said slot and cooperating with the cam member to actuate the cam to control the opening and closing movements of the lower shutter in timed relationship with the opening and closing movements of the upper shutter.

JOHN D. SMITH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 235,740 Casey Dec. 21, 1880 613,844 Mills Nov. 8, 1898 844,308 Johnson Feb. 12, 1907 1,630,427 Hedley May 31, 19 7 1,838,317 Marchroni Dec. 29, 1931 

